Railway refrigerator car



Oct. 29, 1963 H. D. BREEN 3,108,452

I RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed Sept: 5. 196i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 29, 1963 H. D. BREEN 3,108,452

RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR F iled Sept. 5, 1961 2 Sheets-$heet 2 www wm ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,108,452 RAILWAY REFRIGERATQR CAR Henry D. Breen, Chicago, Iii, assignor to Unarco Industries, Ina, a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 5, 1961, Ser. No. 136,032 11 Claims. (Ci. 62-187) This invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to the control of air circulation and temperature in an ice bunker car.

In ice bunker types of railway refrigerator cars, it is necessary to maintain a circulation of air through the bunker and lading compartments of the car for effective refrigeration of the lading. However, there is a tendency at times to produce overcooling and it then becomes desirable to continue circulation of air in the lading compartment to prevent stratification, but to bypass the air around the bunker compartment so that it will not be cooled further. One desirable construction for accomplishing these purposes is disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 66,185 filed October 31, 196K), and it is a principal object of the present invention to provide another railway refrigerator car construction for accomplishing effective cooling of the lading without overcooling.

Another object is to provide a railway refrigerator car in which the air is circulated by fans running continuously at full speed and the air is diverted from the bunker through a bypass therearound by thermostatically controlled dampers. This reduces to a minimum the number of fans or blowers required to circulate the air since the fans or blowers are always operating at full capacity.

According to a feature of the invention, the bypass around the bunker compartment is formed in the bulkhead and the damper means is in the [form of a pivoted vane in or adjacent to the bypass and swingable between one position closing the bypass and another position closing an air circulating opening to the bunker compartment.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanyin drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial longitudinal section through a railway refrigerator car embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial enlarged section on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 7 are partial views similar to FIGURE 1 showing alternative constructions embodying the invention.

The invention is applicable to any conventional type of railway refrigerator car illustrated in FIGURE 1 as having a floor "10, a roof or ceiling '11 and end walls 12. It will be understood that the floor, roof and end and ,side walls of the car are insulated to minimize heat loss.

The car carries a bulkhead, indicated at 13, extended vertically in the car from a position spaced above the floor of the car and preferably aligned with a lading rack 14 to the roof of the car. The bulkhead may be formed in the conventional manner with vertical spaced beams connected by front and rear covering sheets or may be in the form of a single wall, as shown in FIG- URE 3, which is relatively thin but which is of sufiicient strength to withstand the load applied thereto by the lading and the ice. The bulkhead separates the car into a lading compartment 15 and an ice bunker compartment 16 having a rack 17 above its fiber to support ice therein and provided with a hatch 18 through which ice may be loaded into the bunker compartment. In

order to circulate air through the lading and bunker compartments to cool the lading, one or more circulating means, shown as fans 19, may be provided positioned adjacent to the top of the bullchead and in alignment with the front face thereof. The fan or fans are preferably mounted in the upper ends of bypass ducts 21 formed in the bulkhead and which communicate through openings preferably covered by screens 22 with the upper part of the bunker compartment. The duct or ducts 21 extend the full height of the bulkhead and open at the bottom of the bulkhead, as shown in FIGURE 1.

In the form of FIGURES l to 3, each duct 21 is defined by sheet metal channel members 23 secured to and projecting from the bulkhead into the bunker compartment. The openings covered by screens 22 are formed in the sides of the ducts and the fan is in corn munication with the upper end of the duct and with the lading compartment.

In order to control flow of air through the bunker compartment or through the bypass duct damper means are provided either to close the duct or the air circulating openings defined by the screens 22. As shown in FIG- URES 1 to 3, the damper means comprise a pair of pivoted vanes 24 pivoted immediately below the screens 22 within the duct 21 and swingable by solenoids 25 from the position shown in full lines to a vertical position overlying and closing the air circulating openings 22, as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2. The solenoids 25 are controlled in response to the temperature of air in the car for which purpose a temperature sensing bulb 26 is mounted in the duct 21 and through conventional circuitry operates to energize the solenoids and move the vanes 24 to their vertical positions when the temperature of the air reaches a predetermined value.

In the normal position of the vanes for refrigeration of the lading the vanes are moved to the closed position shown in full lines in the drawing in which they extend transversely across the duct and meet each other in the central portion of the duct to close it. The fan 19 runs continuously at full speed during operation of the car and at this time will draw air from the lading compartment through the air circulating opening between the bot-tom of the bulkhead and the floor of the car, up through the bunker compartment to be cooled by the ice therein through openings 22 to the fan back to the lading compartment to circulate downwardly through the lading therein and cool it. While the direction of air circulation indicated above is preferred, it will be apparent that (the fan could run equally well in the opposite direction to produce an opposite direction of circulation of the air. In either case, the maximum volume of air will be continuously circulated through the lading and bunker compartments to provide effective and uniform cooling of the lading in the lading compartment.

The vanes 24 will not completely close the duct to all circulation therethrough so there will at all times be a small circulation of air through the duct even when the vanes are in the position shown. This air will assume the temperature of the air in the lading compartment which temperature will be sensed by the sensing element 26. When the temperature has reached a predetermined minimum value which can be adjusted depending upon the commodity in the car, the sensing element will energize the solenoids 25 to swing the vanes 24 upward there by opening the bypass duct 21 and closing the openings 22 into the bunker compartment. At this time, all of the air will be drawn upwardly through the bypass duct 21 and recirculated through the lading compartment without passing through the bunker compartment. The air in the lading compartment will therefore be maintained uniformly mixed without any stratification, but will not be a further cooled because of bypassing the bunker compartment. If the temperature in the lading compartment should rise again above the set point, the solenoids will be de-energized and the vanes will return to the full line position shown to close the duct and open the circulating passages through the bunker compartment. It will further be noted that in the event of electrical failure, such that the fan is shut down, the solenoids will be deenergized and the vanes 24 will fall by gravity to a position to close the duct so that gravity circulation of air through the lading and bunker compartment will occur and the lading will be maintained refrigerated.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an alternative construction wherein the lading compartment is indicated at 27 and the bunker compartment at 28 with a hollow duct 29 forming a part of the bulkhead separating the two compartments. The duct 29 continues for a short distance immediately beneath and parallel to the roof of the car, as indicated at 31, and a circulating fan 32 is mounted in the horizontal extension of the duct. The back wall of the duct is formed near the top of the car with an opening 33 which may be covered by a screen 34 and which establishes communication between the upper part of the bunker compartment and the horizontal extension 31 of the duct.

To control fiow of air through either the bunker compartment or the bypass duct a pivoted damper vane 35 is provided pivoted adjacent to the inner end of a horizontal extension 36 extending partly into the duct from the lower edge of the opening 33. will normally drop by gravity to the position shown in full lines to close the duct and to open communication from the upper part of the bunker compartment to the fan. A solenoid 37 controlled by a thermostatic element similar to the element 26 will function when energized to raise the damper vane to the dotted line position shown in which it opens the duct and closes the opening 33. Operation of this embodiment is the same as that of FIGURES 1 to 3 and will not be further described in detail herein. In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 5, the car body is separated by a bulkhead 38 into a loading compartment 39 and a bunker compartment 41. The bulkhead may be of hollow construction with a front wall 42 facing the lading compartment and with a back wall 43 spaced therefrom. Vertical beams 44 extending between the front and back walls divide the bulkhead into a series of spaced vertical passages or ducts, each of which is identical and only one of which will be described. If desired, certain of the passages in the bulkhead could be permanently closed so that only a selected number thereof function as ducts depending upon the air circulating capacity needed in the car. An air circulating fan 45 is mounted above the bulkhead front wall 42 in alignment with each of the ducts in the bulkhead and is adapted to operate continuously at full speed when the car is in use. The bulkhead, as in the case of FIGURE 1, terminates above the floor of the car shown at 46 to leave an air circulating opening from the lading space below the rack 47 therein to the lower ends of the ducts and the lower end of the bunker compartment.

Air circulates from the upper end of the bunker compartment to the fan through an opening 48 in the inner wall of each of the ducts opening directly into the bunker compartment and which may be covered by a protective screen 49. Flow of air is controlled by a damper vane 51 pivoted on the inner wall of each duct immediately beneath the opening 48 therein and swingable from the full line position shown in which it closes the duct to a vertical position shown in dotted lines in which it closes the opening 48. The vane will normally fall by gravity to the full line position shown and may be moved to its vertical position by a solenoid 52 controlled in response to temperature in the car by a temperature sensing element 53 mounted in the lower part of the duct. The

The damper vane 35 i 4- operation of this embodiment is similar to that described above and will not be repeated in full.

FIGURE 6 illustrates still another embodiment in which the space in the car body is separated by a bulkhead, indicated generally at 54, into a lading space 55 and a bunker space 56. The bulkhead may be constructed, as described in connection with FIGURE 5, to provide one or more vertical ducts 57 therethrough which open at the lower end of the bulkhead and which extend to the roof of the car, as indicated at 58. An air circulating fan 59 is mounted above the bulkhead in registration with each of the ducts 57 and may force air outwardly through a space between the ceiling of the car and a short lower parallel wall 61 extending into the lading space from the top of the bulkhead front wall.

Air circulates from the bunker compartment to the fan through an opening 62 covered by a screen 63 in the top rear wall of the bulkhead. Circulation of air through the bunker compartment or the bypass duct or ducts 57 is controlled by one or more damper vanes 64 pivoted to the lower edge of the bulkhead at the bunker compartment side thereof and swingable to a horizontal position, as shown in full lines, to close the ducts or to a vertical position shown in dotted line to open the ducts and to close the opening beneath the bulkhead into the bunker compartment. A counterweight 65 secured to the damper v-ane urges it by gravity to the full line position shown and a solenoid 66 connected to the vane and controlled by a temperature responsive element 67 in the air space beneath the bulkhead and floor rack will swing the vane down to the dotted line position.

This construction functions in the same manner as those above described to divert air either through the bypass duct or ducts when the temperature is at or below the desired minimum value or through the bunker compartment when the temperature of the air is above the minimum value.

FIGURE 7 illustrates another alternative construction employing blowers as the air circulating means in place of fans. In this construction the bulkhead 68 is formed with a central air duct 69 similar to the duct 21 of FIG- URES 1 to 3. At the top of the bulkhead and at opposite sides of the air duct two blowers 71 are mounted having the air inlet openings adjacent to the duct opening into the space above the duct and the air inlet openings at the opposite ends of the blowers opening into the top of the bunker space. The blowers have the usual spiral casings terminating in outlet passages 72 which discharge into the lading space of the car near the top of the car. As shown, the blower rotors may be on a common shaft 73 continuously driven during use of the car by a motor 74.

Communication between the blower inlets and the bunker space is controlled by pivoted dampers 75 which are movable over the open ends of the blower casings adjacent to the bunker space. When these dampers are raised to their open positions as shown at the right side of FIGURE 7, air from the top of the bunker space may enter the blowers and will be circulated thereby through the lading space to cool the lading. Similar dampers 76, each of which is in the form of a half damper to clear the shaft 73, may be provided to control opening of the blower inlets to the bypass duct 69. When these dampers are closed and the dampers 75 are open, all of the re-circulated air will be circulated through the bunker for maximum cooling. On the contrary, when the dampers 75 are closed and the dampers 76 are open, all of the re-circulated air will return through the bypass duct 69.

The dampers may be controlled thermostatically in the same manner as described in the preceding figures and a :further description of the control will therefore be unnecessary. This embodiment of the invention functrons in the same manner as the previous embodiments to maintain a constant circulation of air through the car with no possibility of Stratification under conditions requiring cooling as well as under those conditions requiring no cooling.

FIGURE 7 also illustrates diagrammatically a provision for heating the lading space which could be employed equally well in the other illustrated embodiments. As shown, an electric heater 77 is mounted in the bypass duct 69 and is controlled through a switch 73 by a thermostat 79. The thermostat is set to close the switch and apply heat only when the temperature is below that at which the dampers 7 5 are closed and dampers 76 are opened so that air will be circulated through the .lading space and bypass only and will be heated by heater 77.

While several embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it will be understood that they are illustrative only and not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway refrigerator .car comprising a car body, a bulkhead in the car body separating it into a la-ding space and a bunker space adapted to contain ice and formed to provide openings at its top and bottom for circulation of air through the lading and bunker spaces in series in a closed circuit, means defining a bypass around the bunker space and open at its ends to the upper and lower parts of the lading space, air circulating means having an inlet passage communicating with both the bypass and one of said openings and an outlet passage opening into the lading space, damper means movable to two positions selectively to interrupt communication between the air circulating means and the bypass to cause the air to circulate through the lading and bunker spaces in closed circuit or said one of the openings to cause the air to circulate through the lading space and bypass, and thermostatic means responsive to the temperature in the car body to control the damper means.

2. A railway refrigerator car comprising a car body, a vertical bulkhead in the car body separating it into a lading space adapted to contain ice and a bunker space and spaced above the bottom qf the car body to define an air circulating opening, a vertical duct extending through the bulkhead and having an air circulating opening in its upper part opening into the upper part of the bunker space and opening at its bottom into the lower part of the lading and bunker spaces, air circulating means having its inlet communicating with the upper part of the duct and its outlet communicating with the upper part of the lading space, damper means movable to one position to close the duct and to a second position to interrupt air circulation between the lading space and the bunker space, and thermostatic means responsive to the temperature in the car body to control the damper means.

3. The car of claim 2 in which the thermostatic means includes a temperature sensitive element in the duct and the damper means in said one position does not completely close the duct.

4. The car of claim 2 in which the damper means comprises a pivoted vane in the duct swingable to one position across the duct or to a second position closing the air circulating opening in the duct.

5. The car of claim 2 in which the damper means comprises a vane pivoted to the lower end of the duct and swingable to one position covering the lower end of the duct or to a second vertical position to close the first named air circulating opening.

6. The car of claim 2 in which the duct projects from the bulkhead into the bunker space and has air circulating openings at its sides and the damper means comprises a pair of vanes pivoted in the duct beneath the air circulating openings and swirl-gable to one position transverse to the duct or to second positions covering the air circulating openings in the duct.

7. The car of claim 2 in which the last named air circulating opening is in the wall of the duct facing the bunker space and the damper means comprises a vane pivoted in the duct below the opening and swingable to one position transverse to the duct and to a second position overlying the opening.

8. The car of claim 2 in which the last named opening is between the top of the bulkhead and the roof of the car and the damper means is swingable (from a position over the top of the duct to a position registering with the opening.

9. The car of claim 1 in which the damper is biased to a position to interrupt communication between the air circulating means and the by pass to move to such position upon failure of the thermostatic means.

10. A railway refrigerator car comprising a car body, a bulkhead in the body separating it into a lading space and a bunker space and providing openings at its top and bottom for flow of air in a closed circuit through the lading and bunker spaces, means defining a by-pass around the bunker space communicating with the lading space, continuously operating air circulating means having its outlet communicating with the lading space and its inlet communicating with both the bunker space and the bypass, damper means to interrupt communication between the bunker space and the inlet of the air circulating means, and control means for the damper means responsive to the temperature of air in the lading space.

11. A railway refrigerator car comprising a car body,

a vertical bulkhead in the car body separating it into a lading space and a bunker space and spaced above the bottom of the car body to define an air circulating opening, a vertical duct extending through the bulkhead and having an air circulating opening in its upper part opening into the upper part of the bunker space and opening at its bottom into the lower part of the lading and bunker spaces, air circulating means having its inlet communicating with the upper part of the duct and its outlet communicating with the upper part of the lading space, damper means 'rnovable to one position to inter rupt communication between the inlet of the air circulating means and the upper part of the duct and to a secend position to interrupt communication between the inlet of the air circulating means and the upper part of the bunker space, and thermostatic means responsive to the temperature in the car body to control the damper means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,164,392 Porges Dec. 14, 1915 1,295,507 Huening Feb. 25, 1919 1,744,839 Richardson Jan. 2 8, 1930 2,203,406 Dempsey June 4, 1940 2,367,502 Hulse Jan. 16, 1945 2,589,031 Allyne Mar. 11, 1952 2,780,923 Jones Feb. 12, 1957 3,015,217 Beemer Jan. 2, 1962 

10. A RAILWAY REFRIGERATOR CAR COMPRISING A CAR BODY, A BULKHEAD IN THE BODY SEPARATING IT INTO A LADING SPACE AND A BUNKER SPACE AND PROVIDING OPENINGS AT ITS TOP AND BOTTOM FOR FLOW OF AIR IN A CLOSED CIRCUIT THROUGH THE LADING AND BUNKER SPACES, MEANS DEFINING A BY-PASS AROUND THE BUNKER SPACE COMMUNICATING WITH THE LADING SPACE, CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING AIR CIRCULATING MEANS HAVING ITS OUTLET COMMUNICATING WITH THE LADING SPACE AND ITS INLET COMMUNICATING WITH BOTH THE BUNKER SPACE AND THE BYPASS, DAMPER MEANS TO INTERRUPT COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE BUNKER SPACE AND THE INLET OF AIR CIRCULATING MEANS, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR THE DAMPER MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE TEMPERATURE OF AIR IN THE LADING SPACE. 